The determination of the force of a blow is of interest in a variety of athletic competitions and training contexts. For example, in professional boxing matches there are four criteria used for scoring: effective aggressiveness, command of the ring, defense and number of blows landed. With specific reference to number of blows landed, three factors render it difficult for judges to accurately and consistently perform this task: 1) The speed of the matches makes it relatively easy to miscount the number of blows; 2) A judge may not be able to see some of the action clearly because of obstruction by the bodies of the boxers or the referee; 3) Even when blows are clearly seen, it is difficult to judge from the angle and distance of the judges whether the blow is of sufficient impact to be scored. As a result, the scoring by different judges, as well as by the press and other observers can disagree, resulting in controversy over the outcome of a match.
In addition to scoring a match, determining the number and force of blows are important for training for a match, to indicate readiness of fighters for competitive matches, and to best match fighters with similar abilities.
The appeal of boxing as entertainment has waned in recent years, and the audience for boxing continues to age. Younger television audiences for other sports have come to expect visual measures and cues to enhance the viewing experience. Boxing lacks such visual measures. The televised presentation of force and number of blows in a visually arresting way would enhance viewer interest and enthusiasm, thus enhance ratings and revenue from boxing as entertainment.
It will be appreciated that measurement of the number and force of blows would be desirable in training and matches in various martial arts. Measurement and display of the force and other characteristics of impacts are also desirable in other sports, particularly contact sports such as football.
One approach to this problem is explored by U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,786 (Klapman), which provides an accelerometer in a boxing glove, and thus can only measure the acceleration/deceleration of blows. Although of some value, acceleration cannot be translated into force, a much more understandable means of describing the blow, because the mass of the projectile (e.g., head, body, arm) cannot be accurately determined.
Another approach in the prior art to attempting to display the force of a blow during boxing matches is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,284 (Carlin), which uses data from pressure transducers on the wrist bones of boxers as a surrogate for the force of a blow. Signals representing vibrations detected by the pressure transducers are provided by wire from the detector to a transmitter unit worn on the athlete's body. Carlin does not measure force directly, and the addition of such equipment is not likely to be acceptable to boxers, and indeed may represent a safety risk to the boxers.